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Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
A. B. Kukushkin, V. A. Rantsev-Kartinov, A. R. Terentiev
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 27 | Number 3 | April 1995 | Pages 325-328
Compact Torus (Field-Reversed Configuration, Spheromak) Concepts | doi.org/10.13182/FST95-A11947097
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Experimental results are presented which verify the possibility, formerly predicted,1 of the formation of a closed, spheromak-like magnetic configuration (SLMC) in a plasma focus discharge. The model is based on the self-generated transformation of a toroidal (i.e. azimuthal) field into a poloidal one. At its final stage, the SLMC takes the form of a squeezed spheromak, which includes a combined Z-v-pinch at its major axis, exhibiting a power density several orders of magnitude larger than that measured experimentally on a force-free flux-conserver-confined spheromak formed by helicity injection. The results suggest a possibility of further concentrating the plasma power density by means of compressing the SLMC-trapped plasma by the residual magnetic field.